1. Technical Field
The invention concerns an amplifying optical fiber, comprising an optical fiber core and an optical fiber sheath, where most of the volume of the optical fiber core is made of a material with good transmission properties, and in which, as amplification material, complexes composed of rare-earth ions sheathed with a separator substance, are statistically distributed.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Such an amplifying optical fiber and a method for its production is known from my German application DE 44 20 287 and its corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,710,852 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for background. In the first place the known amplifying optical fiber is one in which the amplification of the light takes place in the 1550 nm wavelength range. Such amplifying optical fibers exhibit a favorable relationship between the pumping power and the amplification. For example, if the core of the amplifying optical fiber is doped with erbium, a pumping power of 30 mW can achieve a 40 dB amplification.
To obtain the same result with an amplifying optical fiber in the 1330 nm wavelength range, where the core is doped with praseodymium for example, a pumping power of 500 mW is required.